Medha G.

Where are you from, and where do you live now? I grew up in the Philadelphia area, currently in New York for the summer, and finishing my last year of school back in Philadelphia in the fall.

What do you dream about? (I wish) my dreams consisted of me and my friends destroying white supremacy but... they actually consist of bizarre, sleep deprivation-induced events that I have no idea how to interpret.

A trend you wish had caught on but sadly didn’t? Hmm, not appropriating other people’s cultures?

What’s your guilty pleasure? All. Of. The. Rom. Coms. I think it’s because they're so completely detached from my lived experience I can sit down and watch it after a long, rough day and not have to be emotionally invested. Except Hitch. Hitch is not like other romcoms and I will never feel guilty for watching.

What’s missing from your life right now? The company of my friends who are spread across the country.

What is your single favorite piece of clothing in your closet? I think it is this pair of formfitting high-waisted black pants. I got them for mad cheap a while ago, and recently had them tailored and now they just look so good I never want to take them off.

What do you read when you want to cheer yourself up? June Jordan essays in Some of Us Did Not Die. Warsan Shire’s Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth.

What’s your favorite way to learn? Definitely socially. My understanding of things grow and is cultivated mostly through interactions with others.

What is your single favorite piece of clothing in your closet? My Dale Earnhardt “virtual intimidator” crop top. Stolen from my dad (the only Black Nascar fan I personally know) as an XXL shirt, made into a tank top.

What do you read when you want to cheer yourself up? Texts from my girlfriend and best friends. Also, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Tumblr, which mostly features updates about baby sea otters.

What’s your favorite way to learn? From a friend who is an expert. Usually while they’re annoyed with seeing an example of their thing get fucked up somehow. My girlfriend always points out bad CG rendering to me in movies, and that’s gotta be one of my favorite things.

H Kapp-Klote

Where are you from, and where do you live now? Midwest: I’m from Kansas, and I kind of live in Chicago.

What do you dream about? I don’t usually remember my dreams, but lately I’ve been dreaming a lot about my teeth falling out, which I Googled and apparently is a classic your-subconscious-is-trying-to-tell-you-something dream. One website said it means stress, loss of control but another one said fear of losing all your teeth so I’m still unclear on overall scope and how literal my subconscious is.

A trend you wish had caught on but sadly didn’t? I really thought that websites where you could make your own GIF out of your videos was going to mean people made GIFs of themselves way more often but to be honest I’m okay with that not being where we’re at with the Internet right now.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Overusing the word petulant.

What’s missing from your life right now? A sense of attachment tied to place. A portable washer and dryer.

What is your single favorite piece of clothing in your closet? I have a t-shirt with the Death Star on it that doesn’t fit me so well but every time I wear it strangers will stop me with really strong opinions about the Star Wars canon.

What do you read when you want to cheer yourself up? I think books with really detailed descriptions of setting are really soothing, especially when characters are traveling. Nevada has a lot of really good passages where characters are biking or driving and thinking about their lives or whatever but also noticing little details about the spaces they’re moving through.

What’s your favorite way to learn? Conversations with people in real life – especially when whoever you’re learning from is really excited about whatever they’re talking about. I also really like learning about things while writing. For instance, I’m writing a piece about a dentist and the politics and history of dentistry, and why it’s even a field. During the editing process, I went to a dentist for the first time in two years and got into a conversation with the dentist that provided me with context I probably wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Ripley Soprano is a co-owner and co-conspirator of this here magazine.